Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino addressed Sunday issues pertaining to the public's trust in the police, saying that according to data, 61% of the public said it trusted the police.
"The meaning of trust in the police is that more people turn to us," the police chief said, adding that 42% of criminal offenses are reported to the police. "The heart of the matter is the public's trust, which is essential to an effective and successful police force."
Related stories:
- Police chief: Wave of attacks on Arabs 'despicable'
- Police: Haredi protesters to be prosecuted
- MK Zoabi blames police of women homicide in Arab sector
Speaking to students at the Ono Academy, he added that "Citizens are interested in a few things. They want to call the police and be answered as quickly as possible, with courtesy and to the point. We realized that and started placing more experienced officers to man the phones as well as increasing staff. Now, we answer faster."
Nonetheless, Danino noted that 88 policemen and women were dismissed last year for various causes.
Police following me
Earlier Sunday, Moshe Sherman, the lawyer representing Aryeh 'Rico' Shirazi – an alleged underworld figure accused of tax evasion and money laundering – said that police had launched a covert investigation into his conduct with his client and other defendants involved in the case.
Sherman said he suspected the police had been following him for a long period of time, suspecting he was involved in misconduct and obstruction of justice regarding Shirazi's ongoing investigation.
"This was a conspiracy against me and my client Rico Shirazi… trying to prove that Shirazi and I were engaged in obstruction of justice. The police and the prosecution knew that it was perjury and yet did nothing."
When asked about Sherman's allegations, Danino refused to address the issue directly, but nonetheless stresses that when police decide to wiretap someone, they must introduce a court order to do so. "Without a warrant, police do not have the authority," he said.
The police chief stressed he was not referring to Sherman's remarks, but added that "You can assume that if a lawyer is tapped, the highest ranking officials are informed."
- Receive Ynetnews updates
directly to your desktop